1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and, more particularly, to an image processing apparatus, which can process a plurality of kinds of images having different aspect ratios.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, when a video signal is displayed on a monitor screen, the monitor basically has an aspect ratio of 3:4. However, since a test broadcasting program of a hi-vision signal is started, a horizontally elongated monitor (to be referred to as a wide monitor hereinafter) having an aspect ratio of 9:16 is commercially available, and when such a monitor is used together with a MUSE/NTSC decoder, an image can be displayed on a screen having an aspect ratio of 9:16 while complying with the current NTSC system.
In this case, a video signal is a signal including a video data portion which is horizontally compressed (reduced) to 3/4 (to be referred to as a squeeze signal hereinafter). When the video signal is displayed on the wide monitor, a normal image can be displayed on the monitor by horizontally expanding the signal to 4/3.
In the field of camera-mounted VTRs as well, an apparatus which optically or electrically compresses an image having an aspect ratio of 9:16 to 3/4 in the horizontal direction, and records the compressed image on a tape in accordance with the current television system (e.g., the NTSC system), has already been proposed. With this apparatus, when a reproduced image is displayed on the wide monitor, the picked-up image is expanded to 4/3 in the horizontal direction to normally reproduce an image.
Normally, in a camera-mounted VTR, various kinds of image pickup information (e.g., an image pickup date) are superposed on a picked-up image, and the superposed images are displayed on, e.g., a finder, or are recorded on a recording medium as needed.
Also, the camera-mounted VTR additionally has a function of pre-storing a title to be superposed on a picked-up image in a memory as a still image, superposing the stored title image on the picked-up image, and recording the superposed images on a recording medium.
When a reproduction output of a reproduction head is lower than a predetermined level, i.e., when a reproduction operation is stopped, and when a non-recording portion and a signal-omission portion of a tape are to be reproduced, a blue back signal is generated to cause the monitor to display a blue screen, thereby eliminating discomfort owing to a noisy screen.
If the video camera with the above-mentioned functions can pick up both an image having an aspect ratio of 3:4 and an image having an aspect ratio of 9:16 on the basis of the current television system (e.g., the NTSC system), the following problems are posed.
When an image having an aspect ratio of 9:16 is to be picked up while complying with the current NTSC system, a picked-up image is converted into a squeeze signal, which is optically or electrically compressed in the horizontal direction.
When characters, and the like are to be superposed on the picked-up image, the characters, and the like are superposed on the squeeze signal. However, if the characters are superposed on the squeeze signal in the same manner as an image having an aspect ratio of 3:4, and they are recorded, since a picked-up image is reproduced by expanding the squeeze signal, the superposed characters are elongated in the horizontal direction, and unnatural characters are displayed on the monitor screen.
When a title image fetched at an aspect ratio of 3:4 is reversed, and the reversed image is superposed on a picked-up image having an aspect ratio of 9:16, the width of the title image becomes shorter than that of the picked-up image, and an image-omission portion is formed at one or both of the right and left sides of the title image. Furthermore, the same problem is posed when the above-mentioned blue back screen is displayed.